After missing last year's race at Dover with blood clots, Brian Vickers said of his fifth-place finish: "We needed a good run."

He missed the race a year ago after blood clots were discovered during a visit to Washington, D.C., ultimately forcing him to sit out the rest of last season while recovering. Healthy enough to return in Red Bull Racing Team's No. 83 Toyota Camry this season, Vickers needed 10 starts before earning his first top-five in the FedEx 400, finding more satisfaction that it came at Dover International Speedway.

"It's a special race for me," said Vickers, who started 15th. "Last year I was laying in the hospital with IVs in both arms when this race was going around.

Early in the race, Vickers brushed the inside wall while trying to avoid Kevin Harvick's swerving car. But repairs to the left side and subsequent adjustments helped him get back in the top 20 and flirt with the top 10 before that final pit stop on lap 364 put him in the top five to stay.

Taking the same gamble that benefited race winner Matt Kenseth and third-place finisher Marcos Ambrose, Vickers' crew chief, Ryan Pemberton, decided on two tires instead of four, helping Vickers improve from 11th coming in to fourth on the restart. He withstood challenges from Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards, who were setting the pace before that point and figured to have an edge down the stretch with four tires.

"I still felt good about the car," Vickers said. "The guys did a really good job all day in the pits — good calls. Not overadjusting the car, fixing damage from the start of the race. The biggest thing you needed was track position."

Vickers entered the race with three top-10s, most recently at Richmond International Raceway two weeks ago. This run not only showed progress but offers a building point toward consistent finishes.

Teammate Kasey Kahne started fourth and finished 36th after his No. 4 Toyota lost the engine on lap 331.

"We needed a good run," said Vickers, who enters this weekend's All-Star Race 27th in points. "We've run well all year, but the guys deserve a good run. … You have to keep charging; you can't give up. That's what (Sunday) was for us."

But the conditions were dramatically different from Saturday's warm, overcast skies.

Contributing: Jeff Rabjohns, The Indianapolis Star; wire reports

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.